Farhan Akhtar’s Don 3, which was once supposed to star Ranveer Singh, has not even begun shooting, but the film has been at the centre of a prolonged controversyfor months. The controversy surrounding the film began in 2025 when Ranveer Singh reportedly exited the project, just weeks before the film was scheduled to go on floors. What followed was a dispute between the actor and filmmaker, with multiple stakeholders eventually becoming involved in the fallout. Now, while discussing 25 years of Dil Chahta Hai, Farhan appeared to make a pointed, albeit playful, remark about Ranveer Singh, without mentioning his name.Farhan was speaking about the difficulties of locking actors’ dates for his debut film Dil Chahta Hai in a chat with The Hollywood Reporter India. Recalling how Saif Ali Khan almost walked out of the project shortly before filming, Farhan said the actor had a scheduling conflict with another film.“Saif suddenly had some date issue with another film that he was gonna do. The dates shifted, and he was kind of half in, half out on that. So he was in a bit of a spot, and he had to leave the film. And everybody tried to convince him, like, ‘Yaar, please.’ And for me, I was just like, my head was, like, destroyed. Because when we got, when I met him, when we got into it, there was nobody else who could have played that part. It was just impossible.”Farhan then appeared to draw a parallel with the uncertainty filmmakers can face today. “So, like, that was too heartbreaking for me. Not, maybe ten days, I think it was maybe about a month away from filming, which seems to be a pattern nowadays,” he said, before smilingly adding, “Not just with me. Aisa bhi hota hai. Huh?” While Farhan did not name Ranveer but the remark inevitably brings the Don 3 row to mind, given that the actor’s reported exit came only weeks before the film was expected to begin production.‘You can’t take anything for granted’Farhan had previously spoken about the uncertainty surrounding Don 3 in another conversation with the publication. Without going into the specifics of the dispute, he said the experience had taught him to “expect the unexpected”. “What I’ve learnt is expect the unexpected. You can’t take anything for granted until it’s on film. You realise at some point that there’ll be a period that would come that would be a bit challenging. You’ve had it good. It’s okay, just take it in your stride. I inculcated a lot from the experiences of people who came before me. There will be these moments which will come along that’ll be challenging creatively and existentially. You’d wonder, do I have what it takes?”Farhan also reflected on how his career had already taught him to deal with professional setbacks. The success of Dil Chahta Hai was followed by the failure of his second directorial, Lakshya, starring Hrithik Roshan. The 2004 film did not perform at the box office as Farhan had hoped, and he admitted that it took him considerable time to recover from the disappointment. “This time, I could process it a lot faster. I’ve been through times in my life where I really wanted things to work, but they didn’t. And it’s really depressing. Like Lakshya, for example. It didn’t do what I imagined a film like that would do. And it took me a long time out of it and really feel, is this something that is for me?”Also Read | The marriage was already over. Karan Johar’s ‘Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna’ just said it out loudStory continues below this adWhy did Ranveer Singh exit Don 3?The Don 3 controversy stems from Ranveer’s reported decision to walk away from the film in December 2025, weeks before filming was scheduled to begin. Farhan’s Excel Entertainment subsequently sought compensation for losses it said had been incurred during the film’s pre-production, leading to a mediation process that eventually involved industry bodies. A non-cooperation directive was also issued against the actor by a cine body, which was revoked days later.As earlier reported by SCREEN, during a meeting held by the Producers Guild of India, Ranveer reportedly outlined four key concerns that contributed to his decision to leave the project. According to the account, the actor maintained that the script was not up to his satisfaction. He also reportedly raised concerns about Farhan’s availability, arguing that sustained creative collaboration had been difficult because of the filmmaker’s other professional commitments, including concert tours and acting projects.Ranveer further alleged that his remuneration had been renegotiated downward and that the film’s budget had been substantially reduced from the originally discussed figure of around Rs 300-350 crore to approximately Rs 150 crore. He also reportedly said that he had not received a signing advance for the project.Excel Entertainment disputed Ranveer’s claimsFarhan and Excel Entertainment disputed several of these allegations during subsequent meetings. According to their position, Ranveer had responded positively to multiple drafts of the script that were shared with him during the film’s development. The producers also disputed the actor’s claim that his remuneration had been reduced after the terms were agreed upon, maintaining that discussions around his fee had taken place during negotiations before the term sheet was signed.Story continues below this adExcel Entertainment also challenged Ranveer’s assertions regarding the reduction in the film’s budget and Farhan’s availability. One of the most notable exchanges during the mediation reportedly involved Excel Entertainment’s Ritesh Sidhwani asking Ranveer whether he would have left Don 3 had Dhurandhar not become a blockbuster. According to people present at the meeting, Ranveer said he would not have exited the project under those circumstances.Ranveer subsequently proposed a settlement to resolve the dispute. He reportedly offered Rs 10 crore as immediate compensation, along with a 25% discount on his fee for any future project produced by Excel Entertainment. The producers, however, rejected the proposal. Their position was that a discount on a future collaboration had little value, as they were no longer interested in working with the actor and were instead seeking compensation for losses they had already incurred.The matter of Don 3 is still unresolved.Ranveer’s Dhurandhar successThe Don 3 controversy gained steam after Dhurandhar became a massive hit in December 2025, earning over Rs 1300 crore worldwide. The sequel, which released in March, proved to be an even bigger hit, and earned over Rs 1800 crore worldwide, making it the biggest Hindi film series of all time.